The thing about the Alamo Bowl experience for the Bruins is that it taught them to grow in post-season experience. In Head Coach Jim Mora’s first year, the Bruins went to the Holiday Bowl and got wooped by Baylor, 49-26. It was as painful as it seemed. The Bruins were young, in transition and not yet ready to compete in the post-season.
As for the bowl, from a prestige standpoint, it was decent bowl, mid-tier bowl. With a loss. Not the way to build experience.
Then in Year 2, Mora and Co. got a huge win in the Hyundai Sun Bowl.